How to Fix ARC Raiders Crashing on PC

What Causes This?

ARC Raiders crashes on PC are often tied to early game updates, corrupted Steam files, GPU driver issues, shader compilation problems, or conflicts from overlays and background tools. Because it is an online multiplayer extraction game, anti-cheat startup failures and network-related launcher issues can also stop it from launching or cause it to close shortly after opening.

More general causes include unstable overclocks, damaged Windows system files, missing Visual C++ runtime components, low available memory, and security software blocking game or anti-cheat processes.

Common Symptoms

• The game crashes to desktop during launch or after the splash screen.
• ARC Raiders freezes on a black screen or stops responding in menus.
• The game closes when joining a match or compiling shaders.
• An anti-cheat error appears before the game opens.
• Steam shows the game as running, then it stops without an error message.

How to Fix It Manually

1. Verify the game files in Steam. In Steam, open Library > right-click ARC Raiders > Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. This checks for missing or corrupted files and is the first thing to do after a crash loop. Steam’s official help covers file verification: https://help.steampowered.com/

2. Disable overlays and capture tools for testing. Turn off the Steam Overlay for ARC Raiders in the game’s Steam properties, and temporarily disable Discord overlay, GeForce Experience/NVIDIA App overlay, Xbox Game Bar, MSI Afterburner, and RivaTuner Statistics Server if you use them. These can hook into DirectX/Vulkan and cause launch crashes or freezes.

3. Repair or reinstall the game’s anti-cheat if it fails to start. If ARC Raiders shows an anti-cheat error, use the game’s install folder to look for the anti-cheat setup or repair tool, if one is included, then run it and restart Windows. If you do not see a repair tool, verify files in Steam first, then reinstall the game as a clean test.

4. Clear GPU shader caches, then reboot. Corrupted shader cache data can cause stutter, black screens, or crashes after a patch. Use Windows Disk Cleanup or your GPU vendor’s normal cache reset method rather than deleting random folders by hand. NVIDIA documents shader cache behavior in its support materials, and AMD provides reset guidance through AMD Software support pages.

5. Update your graphics driver with a clean install option if available. Install the latest stable driver directly from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. If crashes started right after a driver update, test the previous stable driver instead. Official driver pages: NVIDIA https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx, AMD https://www.amd.com/en/support, Intel https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html

6. Lower a few graphics settings and remove any overclock. If the game opens but crashes in matches, reduce texture quality, shadows, upscaling, and frame generation if enabled, then test again. Also return GPU, CPU, and RAM overclocks or undervolts to stock settings, since extraction shooters can expose borderline instability fast.

7. Check Windows system files and runtime health. Open an elevated Command Prompt and run sfc /scannow, then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth if needed. Microsoft’s documentation for SFC and DISM is here: https://support.microsoft.com/ and https://learn.microsoft.com/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/repair-a-windows-image

8. Review crash logs in Event Viewer and Windows Reliability Monitor. If ARC Raiders still closes with no message, check Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application for an error tied to the game, Steam, graphics driver, or anti-cheat. Reliability Monitor can also show whether the faulting module is a driver, runtime, or overlay component.

Where Kudu Helps

Kudu helps narrow down background conflicts by using Performance Monitor to spot high CPU or memory use from overlays, launchers, or browser processes while ARC Raiders is running. Its Startup Manager can disable non-essential auto-start apps that interfere with games, and System Cleaner can clear supported GPU shader caches without touching personal files.

Kudu also includes Game Mode on Windows to apply supported gaming tweaks and record how to restore them later. It will not promise better FPS, but it can help you test with fewer Windows-side distractions.

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